Cryptoland: Fiji island won’t be crypto’s Fyre Festival after all
Cryptoland’s $12-million deal to buy an island in Fiji for a crypto-powered resort has failed. Sellers say the exotic South Pacific locale is now back on the market.
Earlier this year, masterminds Max Olivier and Helena Lopez described plans to turn Nananu-i-cake island into a resort where crypto enthusiasts could “enjoy a first-class crypto lifestyle.”
An expensive promotional video portrayed exclusively male nouveau riche indulging in opulent accommodations and objectifying women.
Critics interpreted it a misogynistic portrayal of crypto-colonizing overpriced real estate with no self-awareness.
Cryptoland’s organizers have since deleted videos, websites, social posts, and promotional materials, but cached copies are still available.
Criticism was justified when Cryptoland’s social media manager responded to a buyer’s query about the sexual age of consent on the island.
Cryptoland replied, “Mental maturity should be more than enough!” followed by a winky-face emoji.
The tweet was quickly removed and the team blamed the gaffe on someone who wasn’t a native English speaker.
Olivier and Lopez hoped to sell land plots as NFTs but they failed to attract sufficient buyers. Cryptoland was mapped to include affinity attractions like “Cryptoland Bay,” “Crypto Beach,” “House of Dao,” and “Vladimir Club.”
“Blockchain Hills” was supposed to boast 60 multi-million dollar plots of land, with corresponding NFTs representing ownership of each one. The Guardian noted Nananu-i-cake has just one hill.
Cryptoland originally listed Raffe Hotels and Resorts chief exec Bradley Robinson as a manager.
Cryptoland lured at least one sucker
Industry insiders who expressed interest in the project include crypto entrepreneur Kyle Chasse, who said he bought one of the Blockchain Hills plots.
The revised Nananu-i-cake listing indicates that it’s a “freehold island” of 550 acres, five beaches, and a villa.
It also includes stables and paddocks for livestock like horses and sheep.
And Nananu-i-cake’s price is negotiable now that Cryptoland’s $12 million deal to buy the island fell through.
Read more: [Spice DAO meets with Drake’s lawyer, still can’t fix $3M Dune blunder]
Landowners say the original proprietor, Sir Harold Mitchell, built the island’s villa, which remains largely unchanged since construction.
Mitchell served as Vice-Chairman of the Party under Sir Winston Churchill during World War II.
In any case, Cryptoland joins other dumb crypto-themed fundraising endeavours in failing recently, alongside decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) efforts Spice and Constitution.
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